Noncorrespondence alarm for synchros



1947. R. c. WINTERBOTTOM ,402

NONCORRESPONDENCE ALARM FOR SYNCHROS Filed Feb. 17, 1945 5 W W I Patented Oct. 7, 1947 NONCORRESPONDENCE ALARM FOR SYNCHROS Ross C. Winterbottom, Washington, D. 0. Application February 17, 1945, Serial No. 578,426

8 Claims. (Cl. 177-311) (Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as

amended April 30, 1928; 370 O. G. 757) With many different types of equipment, such as for example, gun directors, radar, compass repeaters, searchlights, position indicators, etc., it is often necessary to include a system-whereby angular motion of a shaft at one station be made voltage and functions to cause the motor to rotate to follow accurately the angular motion of another shaft located remotely from the first mentioned one. If the shafts are not too far away from each other, this result can be obtained by means of direct mechanical linkage. However this method is in general cumbersome and uneconomical, particularly where large amounts of torque and power are to be transferred. A method which is more flexible and more commonly used is to convert the angular motion of the driving shaft at the motion transmitting station into electrical energy, transfer this energy to the motion receiving station and there convert the energy back into angular motion of the driven shaft at this station.

Many different types of electrically operated motion transmission systems are on the market and are sold under various trade names. Some operate on alternating current and some on direct current. However, all of them exhibit a very low torque transmitting characteristic and hence where considerable torque is required of the driven shaft at the receiver station, it is necessary to provide some type of torque amplifying device, or servo system as it is commonly known, which is coupled to the driven shaft. Action of the torque amplifier is regulated by the error or discrepancy in angular position between the driving and driven shafts.

For example, in an ordinary radar antenna control, a motion transmitter, the rotor element of which is operated by a small handwheel, is positioned at a convenient control station. Near the antenna itself there is located a motion receiver device and a torque amplifier which may comprise a reversible electric motor. The shaft of this motor drives the antenna and is also coupled to the rotor element of the motion receiver device. When the rotor elements of the motion transmitter and receiver units are aligned there is no action at the torque amplifier. However, when the handwheel, coupled to the rotor element of the transmitter unit, is turned to a new angular position, there will momentarily be set up in the motion transmission system an error voltage which varies as the instant discrepancy in angular position of corresponding reference points on the rotor elements of the motion transmitter and receiver devices. The torque amplifier then responds to the error the antenna, and hence also the rotor element of the motion receiver device until the error voltage is reduced to a null. The motion receiver device is thus brought into alignment with the new position of the motion transmitter device. This action is continuous as the rotor element of the motion transmitter is turned and so causes the antenna to rotate synchronously therewith.

In the radar, and many other applications incorporating a torque amplifier at the receiver, it is most necessary that the driven shaft track accurately with the driving shaft, even to a fraction of a degree. If, for any reason, the two shafts get out of step with each other, it is evident that correct operation of the equipment incorporating the motion transmitting system will no longer be obtained. In view of this, it has been the practice to incorporate some type of alarm to indicate faulty operation. While alarms for motion transmission systems are not broadly new, it is considered that the particular type of alarm device constituting the subject matter of this invention is highly novel and that it has manyadvantages not heretofore obtainable.

It is therefore the general object of this invention to provide an improved alarm for a self synchronous angular motion transmission system which will indicate failure of the motion receiver device to follow faithfully all motion of the mo tion transmitter device.

Another object is to provide an improved alarm which is actuated in response to a preselected increase in the error voltage that is present in motion transmission systems of the class described.

Still another object is to provide an improved alarm for motion transmission systems of the class described which is actuated automatically upon failure of the source of power which is required for operating the system.

Reference is now made to the single sheet of drawing upon which appears, in schematic diagram, 2. preferred embodiment of my invention as, applied to an angular motion transmission system of the alternating current type, and which includes a, servo-motor or torque amplifier connected to the driven shaft at the motion receiver station. A shaft in (which may be termed the driving shaft) is coupled to the rotor element of a self-synchronous motion transmitter unit ii. This unit which may be of any one of the types well-known in the trade and sold under various trade-marks such as 'Selsyn, Autosyn, Synchro, etc., includes on the rotor element a winding l2 which is sometimes referred to as the field winding. The stator element of the transmitter carries a poly-circuit, distributed winding [3 which is often referred to as the armature winding. This winding is tapped at the 120 points. In this particular embodiment, the armature winding I3 is shown Y connected although it may sometimes be found connected in A. Likewisein this embodiment, the field winding I2 is shown on the rotor element and the armature winding l3 on the stator element but these may be reversed if desired.

At the motion receiver station there is located a driven shaft H and it will be noted that this shaft is connected to the rotor element iii of a two-phase A. C. motor I6 which is utilized to produce the requisite amount of torque at the output or load end of shaft ll. Motor [6 thus functions a the mechanical power amplifier or servo-motor previously referred to.

Also located at the motion receiver station is a control transformer H which includes rotor and stator elements. The physical construction of transformer I1 is essentially the same as that of transmitter l l at the motion transmitter station. That is, the rotor element of the transformer, which is coupled to driven shaft [4 contains a field winding l8, and the stator element carries a poly-circuit distributed winding I9 which is Y connected. Like points on the windings l3 and. 18 of the generator H and transformer II, respectively, are connected together via conductors 22-24.

The field winding 12 of transmitter H is excited with single phase alternating current which is obtained from any suitable A. C. supply line such as terminals 25.

In a self-synchronous motion transmitting system of the type where no torque amplifier is coupled to the driven shaft, the control transformer just described would function as the receiver element to drive the driven shaft l4. The poly-circuit winding on the stator element of the transformer would be connected as shown but the field winding on the rotor element would be connected to the field winding of the transmitter unit and to the A. C. supply line referred to. With such an arrangement, when the rotors of the transmitter and receiver units were in the same angular positions with respect to their stators, the voltages induced in the respective interconnected armature windings by their associated field windings would be equal and opposite. However, if the rotor of the transmitter were to be turned through an angle and held in its new position, the voltages would no longer counterbalance, and equalizing currents would accordingly flow in the armature windings. Such currents would exert a torque on the rotor of the receiver causing it to take up a position corresponding to the position of the transmitter rotor.

However, in a motion transmission system of the general kind to which this invention relates, i. e. one in which a torque amplifier is interposed in the driven shaft, the field winding l8 on control transformer I'l instead of being connected to the A. C. line, is connected via conductors 26, 21 to terminals marked Error voltage on a control unit 28 which functions to control both the speed and direction of rotation of motor l6. It should be noted that the same A. C. voltage which is applied to the field winding l2 on transmitter II is also applied to terminals marked Reference voltage" on the motor control unit 28.

The field circuit of servo-motor I6 is comprised of a pair of windings 3|, 32 and a phase shifting capacitor unit 33. A conductor 34 leads from a common terminal on both of these windings to one side of the A. C. supply previously referred to. Conductors 35, 36 lead respectively from the other ends of field windings 3| and 32 to terminals on the control unit 28. The latter selectively connects capacitor 33 in series with one or the other of field windings 3|, 32.

In operation, when the driving shaft in and driven shaft II are angularly aligned, there is but little or no voltage induced in the field winding l8 on the rotor element of control transformer IT. This position of the transformer rotor is often referred to as the null. However, when the shaft l0 and hence field winding I2 on transmitter H is rotated through a selected angle, currents will be set up in the conductors 22-44 and these will shift the direction of the resultant magnetic field created by the armature winding IS on the stator of control transformer l1. As the magnetic field shifts in direction, an error voltage is induced in the field winding l8 of this transformer. This error" voltage is fed over conductors 2G, 21 into the control unit 28 where it is applied in a bias amplifier which functions to vary an impedance in series with the field windings 3|, 32 of motor Hi to thereby control its speed of rotation. The error voltage is also fed to a direction amplifier within control unit 28 where its phase is compared with the phase of the reference voltage, i. e. the voltage taken from terminals 25, in order to control the direction of rotation of motor l6. Included in the circuit of the direction amplifier is the coil of a relay and operation of the latter selects the particular motor field winding, 3| or 32, with which the capacitor unit 33 is connected in series. When this capacitor is connected in series with field winding 3|, the rotor I5 of motor 16 will run in one direction; when it is connected in series with field winding 32, the motor rotor 15 will run in the opposite direction.

The control unit 28, and elements 3| through 36, may comprise an amplifier and motor combination, of a type well known to the servo-mechanism art, for operation in connection with alternating current data transmission systems. One such instrument has been depicted in the drawing as the control unit 28, and it comprises a phase responsive rectifier circuit whose output, through an anti-hunt network, controlling a pair of vacuum tubes acting as variable impedances between conductors 30 and conductors 35 and 38 respectively.

Thus as the error voltage induced in the field winding I8 on control transformer 11, is applied to the components of the control unit 28, the rotor l5 of motor I8 will be caused to rotate in such direction as to bring the rotor of control transformer 11 to a new position such that the error voltage induced in the field winding 18 is reduced to the null point value. Under normal conditions of operation, the rotor l5 of servomotor I6 begins to move as soon as any error voltage first begins to appear. Hence the latter never reaches a value of any consequence when the system is operating synchronously; that is, when shaft I4 is faithfully repeating the motion of shaft ID.

The present circuit arrangement includes a transformer 39. Its primary winding 39a is connected via conductors ll, 42 to conductors 28, 38 and hence is supplied with alternating current from terminals 25. A secondary winding 39b on transformer 39 produces a small voltage of about 2.5 volts and this voltage is connected via conductors 44, 45 in series with the error" voltage induced in rotor winding l8. In normal operation, the 2.5 volts obtained from secondary 3911 does not introduce any error voltage signal into the system since it is compensated for or backed out" by an initial adjustment of the zero position of the rotor element of control transformer IT. The reason for the inclusion of the small supplementary 2.5 volt potential will be explained in detail in a later part of this specification.

Except for the transformer 39, the self-synchronous motion transmission system appearing on the drawing, and which has been described, is conventional and its components per se accordingly do not constitute any part of the present invention. As explained in the opening part of this specification, this invention is concerned with the provision of a novel type of alarm circuit which can be incorporated with a self-synchronous motion transmission system in order to give an alarm when a driven element, such as shaft l4, fails to follow faithfully the motion of a driving element, such as shaft l0. Depending upon the particular type of self-synchronous motion transmission apparatus involved, failure of the driven element to follow the driving element may be caused by any one of a number of possible conditions. For example, in the particular apparatus illustrated, interruption of the alternating current power supply at terminals 25 will cause the system to fail. Faulty operation of the servo may throw the driving and driven elements out of synchronism. Likewise any breakdown in the connections between the armature windings I3 and IQ of the transmitter and control transformer respectively, resulting in loss of the backing voltage and error voltage will cause the driving and driven elements to fall out of synchronism with each other. Also any breakdown in the connections 29 and/or 30, resulting in loss of reference voltage at the servo will likewise cause the driving and driven elements to get out of step.

The alarm circuit constituting this invention, and which will now be described, functions to give an alarm when anyof the aforesaid breakdown conditions occur.

In particular, the alarm circuit is comprised of any conventional typ of alarm unit 45 which may take the form of a light, bell, buzzer, etc., a source of power supply such as battery 41 for energizing the alarm, and a relay 48 connected in circuit between the alarm 45 and the battery 41. For controlling the operation'of relay 48 which is normally in 'an energized state ther is provided a double triode 5| which may be a type 6SN'7 valve. With respect to the right half of this valve which includes anode 5|a, grid 5|b and cathode 5lc, it will be seen that the grid 5":

is connected directly to the anode 5|a to thereby' constitute a half wave rectifier for supplying potential for the anode-cathode circuit of the left half of the valve 5|, which half comprises. anode 5|d, control grid 5k: and cathode 5|,f.

Alternating current from secondary winding 390 of transformer 39 is fed over conductor 52 to the anode 5|a of the rectifier half of the valve and cathode 5|c is connected via capacitor 53 to cathod 5|). This capacitor serves to minimize the ripple in the direct current output from the rectifier half of the valve. From the anode 5| (1 of the left half of valve 5|, a conductor 54 leads to one terminal of the energizing winding for relay 48, and another conductor 55 extends from the other terminal of this relay winding to the cathode 5|.c via resistor 56.

The left halfof valve 5| constitutes an electronic control device or variable impedance and in this connection it will be seen that a conductor 51 extends from grid 5|e through parallel connected capacitor 58 and resistor 59, and over conductor B2 to conductor 26. Another conductor 63 extends from conductor 21 to the cathode 5|? of tube 5|. It will now be evident that the gridcathode circuit of the left half of tube M is con nected in parallel with the output of field winding I8 on the rotor element of control transformer II.

It was previously explained that when the selfsynchronous motion transmission system is functioning properly, the magnitude of the error voltage which appears across the output of the field winding l8 of control transformer I! never reaches an appreciable value because the shaft l4 by its rotation is constantly adjusting the rotor of the control transformer I'I, upon which the field winding I8 is wound, to its null position. However,' if we assume a condition of faulty operation wherein th driven shaft l4 gets out of step with the driving shaft I0, that is to say, a condition under which a reference point on shaft I4 is no longer angularly aligned with a corresponding reference point on shaft ID, the error voltage induced in the field winding |8 and which appears at the output thereof on conductors 26 and 21 will rise to an appreciable value. This may be caused by a fault in the servo-motor l5 or control unit 28 or for some other reasons. Whatever may be the reason as this error voltage is applied to the grid-cathode circuit of the left half of tube 5|, it builds up a negative charge on capacitor 58 which biases the grid 5|e negatively with respect to cathode 5If thereby reducing the current through the anodecathode circuit of the left half of the tube 5|.

It was explained that this particular anode-cathode circuit includes the energizing winding of relay 48 and therefore the current through this winding is reduced as the negative bias builds up upon the grid 5|e of the tube 5|. Consequently when the negative bias on grid 5|e has reached a critical limiting value, its effect upon the flow of current in the anode-cathode circuit of the left half of tube 5| will be such that the relay 48 will no longer be able to hold in its armature 48a. Consequently the latter wil1 move downwardly to a position closing contacts 48b and hence completing a circuit between the alarm device 46 and the battery 41. This then actuates the alarm device 46 to give a signal to the operator which will indicate to him that the driving shaft l0 and driven shaft 4 are no longer in step with each other.

The value of resistor 56 can of course be so selected that the alarm device will be actuated when the error voltage has risen to any desired upper limit.

It has been explained that the right half of the tube 5| constitutes a rectifier for supplying the anode potential for the left hand of this tube and that the rectifier half of the tube 5| is fed with A. C. from the secondary 390 of transformer 39. Since the primary winding 39a of transformer 39 is supplied with A. C. from terminals 25, which terminals also feed the field Winding |2 on the rotor element of transmitter II, it will thus be evident that any failure which occurs in the A. C. supply appearing at terminals 25 wili likewise result in a failure of the anode potential derived from the rectifier half of tube 5| and likewise a failure in current flow through the energizing winding of relay 48. Under these conditions the relay armature moves downwardly closing contacts "b which thereby actuates the alarm device 46.

It has been explained that a small potential of approximately 2.5 volts obtained from secondary 39b of transformer 39 is connected in series with the output of the field winding l8 on the rotor element of control transformer l1, and that under normal operating conditions when the shafts l and H are rotating synchronously, this supplementary potential of 2.5 volts does not adversely affect operation of the system since it is properly compensated for by an initial adjustment of the zero position of the rotor element of control transformer ll. Keeping this in mind, if it should now be assumed that there is a breakdown in one or more of the conductors 2224 interconnecting armature windings l3 and 19 of the transmitter I l and control transformer 11, respectively, or should any other condition arise wherein the armature winding [9 on the control transformer H was not receiving current from transmitter l I, there will no longer be any error voltage induced in the field winding 18 of control transformer l1. However, from the drawing it will be evident that the supplementary potential of 2.5 volts obtained from secondary 39b of transformer 39 will still be available and will act to create a corresponding negative bias on the grid Ie of the left half of tube 5|. This amount of bias will be sufficient to so decrease the current flow through the anode-cathode circuit including the winding of relay 48 that the relay armature 43a will move downwardly to close contacts 481) and thereby actuate the alarm device 56.

From what has been said, it will now be evident that the novel alarm circuit which has been dc scribed will function to give an alarm under any one or more of the following four conditions:

1. Faulty operation of the torque amplifier components causing the driven shaft l l to get out I circuit itself causing a loss of current to relay coil 48.

In conclusion it is to he understood that while I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention as applied to a self-synchronous motion transmittion system of the alternating current type utilizing a two phase reversible, motor at the motion repeater station to provide an amplifled torque to the output oi the driven shaft, the invention may be applied equally well to any other type of self-synchronous motion transmission system, either alternating or direct current, which operates on the same principles as the particular alternating current apparatus illustrated. That is to say, any system in which an error voltage induced or produced at the motion repeater station as a result of motion at thetransmitter station is utilized to selectively control the operation of a torque amplifier connected to the driven shaft.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government oi 8 the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

What is claimed is:

1. In an electrical system for the transmission of angular motion including a motion transmitter device, a motion receiver device, a power supply for said devices, electrical connections between said devices and a torque amplifier connected to the motion receiver device, and wherein momentarily any change in the angular position of the transmitter device relative to that of the receiver device momentarily produces an error voltage variable as the difference in the angular positions of the two devices for so controlling the torque amplifier that the receiver device then follows the angular change in the transmitter device, an alarm apparatus for indicating failure of the receiver device to follow faithfully the transmitter device, said apparatus comprising; an alarm, a relay for controllying operation of said alarm, a source of potential for the winding of said relay, said potential being derived from said power supply, an impedance, means connecting said relay winding in circuit with said source of potential and said impedance, and means for increasing said impedance in accordance with an increase of said error voltage.

2. The combination in claim 1 wherein said variable impedance is comprised of an electronic valve including cathode, control grid and anode elements, and said error voltage constitutes a source of negative grid bias for said valve.

3. The combination in claim 1 wherein said variable impedance is comprised of an electronic valve including, cathode, control grid and anode elements, a capacitor connected in the gridcathode circuit of said valve, and means for charging said capacitor to a negative potential with respect to said cathode, said potential being variable with said error voltage.

4. In an electrical system for the transmission of angular motion including a motion transmitter unit having rotor and stator elements, a field winding carried by one of said elements and a poly-circuit armature winding carried by the other element, a control transformer having similar windings and elements, electrical connections between the armature windings of said transmitter unit and control transformer, a source of alternating current connected to the field winding of said transmitter unit, and a torque amplifier connected to the rotor element of said control transformer, and wherein momentarily any change in the angular position of the rotor element of said transmitter unit relative to the rotor element of said control transformer momentarily induces at the output of the field winding of said control transformer an error voltage variable as the difference in the angular positions of the two said rotor elements and which so controls the torque amplifier that the rotor element of said control transformer follows the said angular change in the rotor element of the transmitter unit, an alarm apparatus for indicating failure of the two said rotor elements to rotate synchronously, said apparatus comprising; an alarm, a relay for controlling operation of said alarm, a source of potential for the winding of said relay, derived from said alternating current source, an impedance, means connecting said relay winding in circuit with said source of potential and said impedance, and means for increasing said impedance in accordance with an increase or said error voltage.

9 5. The combination in claim 4 wherein said variable impedance is comprisedof an electronic valve including cathode, control grid and anode elements, and said error voltage constitutes a source of negative grid bias for said valve.

6. The combination in claim 4 wherein said variable impedance is comprised of an electronic valve including cathode, control grid and anode e1ements, a capacitor connected in the gridcathode circuit of said valve, and means for charging said capacitor to a negative potential with respect to said cathode, said potential being variable with said error voltage.

7. In an'electrical system for the transmission of angular motion including a motion transmitter unit having rotor and stator elements. a field winding carried by one of said elements and a poly-circuit armature 'winding carried by the other element, a control transformer having similar windings and elements, electrical connections between the armature windings of said transmitter unit and control transformer, a

7 source of alternating current connected to the field winding of said transmitter unit, and a torque amplifier connected to the rotor element of said control transformer, and wherein momentarily any change in the angular position of the rotor element of said transmitter unit relative to the rotor element of said control transformer momentarily induces at the output of the field winding of said control transformer an error voltage variable as the difference in the angular position of the two said rotor elements and which controls the torque amplifier that the rotor element of said control transformer then follows the said angular change in the rotor element of the transmitter unit, an alarm apparatus for inbeing variable in accordance with variation of a said error voltage.

8. The combination in claim 7 and further including, a supplementary potential connected in series with the output of the field winding of said control transformer, last said voltage being normally backed out and having no effect upon the operation of said torque amplifier when the dicating failure of the two said rotor elements to motion transmission system is operating synchronously but which becomes effective upon failure of inductive coupling between the field and armature windings of said control transformer to constitute a potential for deriving negative bias for the grid of said valve to thereby affect current flow through the cathode-anode circuit of said valve and hence also through the winding of Said relay.

ROSS c. WINTERBQTIOM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Henschmann Apr. 1, 1941 

